Mixer and routing

Open Mixer from the top bar to see every audio, instrument, aux, output, and master channel in the project.

Read a channel strip

Each strip follows the signal from top to bottom:

1. Input — hardware input, bus input, or VST3 instrument.
2. Audio FX — ordered VST3 effect inserts.
3. Sends — copies of the signal routed elsewhere.
4. Output — a bus or hardware output destination.
5. Pan and Volume — channel placement and final level.

The strip also provides record enable where applicable, input monitoring, mute, solo, a level meter, and a channel menu.

Choose an input

Audio channels can receive:

• a mono hardware input;
• an adjacent linked stereo pair;
• a bus.

Instrument channels receive the output of their assigned VST3 instrument. Auxes normally receive audio through a bus or sends.

Route to an output

Use the Output section to choose the next bus or a hardware-output channel. Hardware outputs map their left and right sides to channels exposed by the active output device.

Avoid creating routes that feed a signal back into itself. YADAW keeps the audio graph legal and rejects invalid topology.

Add a send

Select an empty send slot, then choose:

• the destination bus or output;
• Pre, Post, or Pan tap position;
• send level;
• enabled or disabled state.

Use pre-fader sends for an independent monitor or effect level. Use post-fader sends when the send should follow channel volume.

Buses and aux channels

An aux channel provides a place to process a shared return or submix. Route channels or sends to its bus, add effects on the aux, then route the aux onward to the master path or a hardware output.

Metering

Keep channel and master peaks below clipping. The meters transition from green through yellow to red as headroom runs out. Lower the source, plug-in output, or channel level when a stage clips; lowering only the final master may leave an earlier stage overloaded.